Tarkio College was a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1940 through 1991 and the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) from 1970 through 1991. it was a member or the Missouri College Athletic Union (MCAU) from 1924 to 1970 and the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) from 1912 until 1924.​ Tarkio College was a member of the Heart of America Athletic Conference from 1971 through 1991. During this time Tarkio College won 51 conference titles. The Men's teams won 26 HAAC Championships and the Women's teams won 25 HAAC Championships.

The Championship banners as shown below originally hung in the gymnasium at Tarkio College. They currently are in Rankin Hall at Tarkio College.

The Owls score totaled 33 points to the second place team, Graceland's 54 points and William Jewell's 55 points. Leading the team were George Henry and Lee Haidsiak, placing second and third respectively. Next came Dwight Pickering in fifth, Dennis Abrams in eighth, Rick Staback in fifteenth, and Harry Laine coming in twentieth; all to combine the efforts for the championship title.

The Tarkio Owl Cross Country team successfully defended their Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship by literally running away with the meet. The closest team to Tarkio was William Jewell who had 63 points, while Graceland had 65 points and Tarkio had 25 points. The Owls were paced by ever dependable leader George Henry who finished first with a time of 25:35. Dwight Pickering, the student coach for the team finished third with a time of 26:23. Bob Friedle finished fifth with a time of 26:39 while Russ Palmer finished in seventh place with a time of 27:03. Dennis Abrams rounded out the scoring placing in ninth overall with a time of 27:18.

The Owl cindermen set two school records March 9th as they outclassed their competition and walked off with the Heart of America Athletic Conference Indoor Track Championship meet at Lamoni,

The Owls scored 87 1/2 points to take the trophy, followed by Graceland 60 1/2 points, Missouri Valley with 50 points, William Jewell with 27 1/2 points, Ottawa with 26 1/2 points, and Central Methodist with 0 points..

Leading the Owl efforts by placing first in their categories were Walt Knox, 600 yard dash, 1:14.0; Bob Rudrow, High hurdles, :07.6; Brian Criswell, shot put, 50'3; Jim (Crop) Martin, a double winner, high jump 6'7", and triple jump, 42'3". School records were set by Martin, whose high jump knocked an inch off the former record of 6'6" he had set last year, and by Criswell, whose distance in the shot put bettered the 48'51/2" mark he had set earlier in the year. Additional Results: Mile Run - Henry (4th 4:32.6) & Gilbert (5th 4:33.5), 1000 Yard Run - Gilbert (2nd 2:23.4), Pickering (4th 2:24.0), & Staback (5th 2:27.0), Two Mile Run - Palmer (2nd 9:51.2), Abrams (3rd 9:57), and Henry (5th 10:01), Mile Relay - Tarkio (2nd 3:33.4).

1974 Heart of America Athletic Conference Men's Outdoor Track Champions, Liberty, MO, May 4, 1974Coach: Robert Tucker Assistant Coach: Gary Bussard, Trainer: Bob DoyleThe Owls scored 96 points to take the trophy, followed by Missouri Valley with 47 points, Graceland and William Jewell with 40 points each, Ottawa with 25 points, Baker with 15 points, and Central Methodist with 9 points.Leading the Owl efforts by placing first in their events were Bob Rudrow,(High Jump, 6' 1"), Brian Criswell (Shot Put, 49' 91/2"), Jim Martin (Triple Jump, 42'3"), George Henry (Mile Run, 4:22.6), Bruce Barnett (120 High Hurdles, 14.6), Walt Knox (440 Yard Dash, 49.8), Dan Hodges (440 Hurdles, 56.9), and Rudrow, Hill, Cooper, and Barnett (440 Relay, 43.1). Additional Results: Discus - Criswell (2nd, 123'1"), Triple Jump - T. Wright (2nd, 42' 21/4"), 100 Yard Dash - G. Cooper (2nd, 10.1), 440 Hurdles - Rudrow (2nd, 57.9), 220 Yard Dash - G. Cooper (2nd, 22.2), 3 Mile Run - Henry (2nd, 14:53.6).Conference highlights: Bruce Barnett set a conference record in the 120 High Hurdles. George Henry set a school record with his time of 14:53.6 in the 3 mile run. Season highlights included winning the NAIA District 16 Championship and a first place finish at the Graceland Relays. Del Morley finished ninth in the NAIA decathlon. Bruce Barnett was named a NAIA All-American by finishing 2nd in the nation in the 120 High Hurdles. Scott Pini set a school record in the 100 Yard Dash in a time of 9.7 and a school record in the Pole Vault with a height of 14'7". Brian Criswell set a school record in the shot put with a throw of 51' 4", George Henry set a record time of 32:13.2 for the Six Mile Run in addition to his 14:53.6 for the Three Mile Run. Bruce Barnett set a school record in the 120 High Hurdles with a time of 13.8. Jim Martin set a school record in the High Jump with a jump of 6' 7". Del Morley set a school record in the Decathlon with 6,285 points. B. Smith, T. Cavins, Bruce Gilbert, and Dwight Pickering set a school record in the Two Mile Relay with a time of 8:05.8.

1974 Heart of America Athletic Conference Men's Basketball ChampionsCoach: Skip Shear (HAAC Coach of the Year)The men's team, under new head coach Skip Shear compiled an 18-6 regular season record, were 11-1 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference as its champions, and for the second straight year participate in the NAIA District 16 playoffs. The team finished third in the national NAIA ranking in team defense holding opponents to an average of 56.8 points per game. The Owls were in the top ten in winning margin with 17.3 per game edge over their foes. Four seniors completed their basketball careers and were named as Outstanding Athletes of America. They were: Steve Breazier, Mark Dalbey, Jim Martin and Del Morley (pictured to the left). These four and Junior Jerry Lapsley rounded out the starting unit which together with other members of the squad established the Owls as one of the best teams in the Midwest. In addition to winning the HAAC Championship, Tarkio also won the Chadron State College Holiday Tournament compromised of eight teams from four states. Coach Shear was named the HAAC "Coach of the Year." Martin was named to the first team All Conference and All District. Dalbey was named to the second team All Conference and Honorable Mention in NAIA District 16. Lapsley and Morley received Honorable Mention All Conference. Martin also received Honorable Mention NAIA All American.

The Owls scored 97 points and won the Championship. They were followed by Graceland with 54 points, William Jewell 38.5, Missouri Valley 34.5, Ottawa 25, and Central Methodist 1.

Pini was second in the pole vault (13'6"), Criswell was second in the shot put (48'), Wright was second in the triple jump (42'9"), Fell was second in the high jump (6'2"), Bryant was first in the 60 yard run (6.3), Haskins was second in the 60 yard run (6.35), Pini was fourth in the 60 yard run (6.4), Henry was first in the mile (4:22.2), Staback was second in the mile (4:27.2), Gilbert was third in the mile (4:27.6), Henry was first in the 1,000 yard run (2:22.0), Gilbert was second in the 1,000 yard run (2:22.7), Conner was third in the 1,00 yard run (2:23.5), Hodges was second in the 440 yard run (52.65), Nichols was third in the 600 yard run (1:16.0), Smith was fifth in the 600 yard run (1:16.7), Bryant was first in the 300 yard run (32.4), Haskins was third in the 300 yard run (32.8), Schmitz was third in the 60 yard high hurdles (8.4), Rameriz was fifth in the 60 yard high hurdles (8.6), Henry won the two mile (9:26), Conner was third in the two mile (9:46), Palmer was fourth in the two mile (9:52.8), Cavins was third in the 88 yard run (2:03.3), and TC placed third in the mile relay (3:33.4).

The 1976-77 season was a memorable one as the Owls captured the HAAC Conference Championship and earned a spot in the NAIADistrict 16 playoffs. The Owls won ten of twelve conference games played on there way to an overall record of 16-12. Tarkio was paced by the fine all-around play of junior Tom Stirmlinger. The 6'6" center led the Owls in scoring (18.8) and rebounding (10.0) while earing first team all-conference honors.

The Tarkio College Owls Track Team ran away with the 1978 Heart of America Athletic Conference indoor track championship held at Graceland College, Lamoni, IA on March 3rd.

The Owls collected 94 team points to clinch the title. William Jewell was a distant second with 60 points, followed by host team Graceland College with 53. Missouri Valley, Ottawa, and Central Methodist rounded out the field with 26, 21, and 0 points respectively. Tarkio had six performers earning first place honors, and also won both the 880 and mile relay. Head Coach Bob Tucker called the achievement "an excellent team effort."

Donna, leading scorer for the Owls, set a new scoring record topping the 1,000 point mark. Her game average was 21.19 points per game. Laura ended her third season with Tarkio as the Owl's' second leading scorer with an average of 12.53 points per game. The Owls put three of their players on the State All-Tournament Team. Donna Schroer and Vanna Anderson were named First Team. Judy Howard was na

1979 Heart of America Athletic Conference Men's Indoor Track & Field ChampionsCoaches:Bob Tucker and Channing CoxFor the second year in a row, the Tarkio track team won the Heart of America Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship. The Owls ran up 96.5 points easily outclassing second place William Jewell's 68.5 points. Graceland had 34.5 points, Missouri Valley had 27.5 points Ottawa got 19 points and Central Methodist rounded out the field with 8 points. Tarkio took first place in seven of 16 events, scored second in seven events, third in four events, fourth in six events and fifth in two events.

Tarkio College Conference Record: 9-0The lady owls scored 1,631 points during the season for a team average of 62.73. They shot 47 percent from the field and 60 from the free throw line. Their overall record was 18-8.HAAC Player of the Week Honors: Becky Confer was named the Heart of America Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week for two weeks in a row. She had 17 points per game during the week of January 31 to February 6. Her best game was the win over Graceland during which she hit for 19 points and had 11 rebounds. For the week of February 7-13, Confer hit 16 of 27 field goals for a 59.2 percent average, 9 of 14 free throws for a 64.3 percent average, scored 43 points, had 25 rebounds, nine steals, two blocked shots and four assists. Confer had a school record 1,502 points, averaged 51 percent from the field, 71 percent from the free throw line and average 8.8 rebounds per game over her collegiate career.NAIA Player of the Week Honors: Elaine Kirsch was named NAIA Women's Basketball Player of the Week for her performance with the Tarkio College Owls during the week of January 31 to February 6. She helped to guide the Lady Owls to 13 consecutive victories and the Heart of America Conference Championship crown. For the week, Kirsch totaled 69 points with an average 23 points per game. She had 27 rebounds, nine steals, six blocked shots and 11 assists. She shot 30-49 from the field for 62 percent and 9-11 from the free throw line for 88 percent. Her best performance of the week was against Dana college. Kirsch scored 27 points and totaled nine rebounds. She hit 12-16 from the field for 75 percent and 3-4 at the free throw line for 75 percent. Kirsch was named District 16 Player of the Week for games played during the week of February 7-13. In those three games, she shot 55.3 percent from the field, 26 of 47, and 83 percent from the line, 5 of 6, had 57 points, 24 rebounds, eight steals, two blocked shots and seven assists.Elaine Kirsch, Junior guard-forward, and Becky Confer, senior center, were both named All-District and to the NAIA District 16 women's First Team.

1982 Heart of America Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Champions

Coach: C.L. Bronsberger

Tarkio College conference record: 14-2

The men's team record for the year was 19-12. They shot 49 percent from the field and 69 percent from the line. The team's scoring average was 73 points per game while they gave up an average of 67 points per game.

HAAC Conference Player of the Week Honors: Russ Maguire was named Player of the Week in the Heart of America Conference and NAIA District 16 during the weeks of December 5, December 13 and January 23. He was the leading scorer for the Owls during the season with an average of 20.3 points per game and led in rebounding with 8.8 rebounds per game. Maguire's excellent records helped lead the Tarkio Owls to the Heart of America Conference Basketball Championship.

Russ Maguire, senior guard was named All District and named to the NAIA District 16 First Team. Jim Garr, Senior forward, was All District and was named to the NAIA District 16 Honorable Mention Team.

The Owls finished the season with and overall 8-6-3 record including a 5-1 conference record, tying them with William Jewell for the Conference Championship. Jewell and Tarkio each lost one game in the Conference.

1987 Heart of America Athletic Conference Men's Cross Country Champions, Tarkio College, Tarkio, MO, October 24, 1987Coach: Gary White (Coach of the Year)Team Scores: 1. TC 33, 2. MANC 36, 3. Baker University 90, 4. Graceland 95*, William Jewell 95 (*Gracelands sixth runner finished ahead of William Jewells sixth runner). It was the first time in school history that the men and women won cross country titles in the same year and the first time in conference history that a school qualified five men and five women for the all conference team. Steve McFadden placed second in 26:38; Bob Hull placed fifth in 27:00; Bill Robertson finished seventh in 27:14; Craig Mayer placed ninth in 27:40, and Don Archer finished in 10th with a time of 27:44. MANC was a five to one favorite to win; however, Archer passed two MANC runners in the final stretch to clinch the title for the Owls. When asked how it felt when he went passed them, Archer smiled and replied, "Natural." White said the race was, "Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic!"

1988 Heart of America Athletic Conference Women's Softball ChampionsCoach:7th Place Finish at the NAIA National TournamentDana Dawson (Outfielder): All Conference, All District, and All National Tournament Team.Julie Ernst (Catcher): All Conference (2nd Team) and All District (1st Team).Dinah Sederburg (Pitcher): All Conference (1st Team) and All District (HM). 28-3 Won/Loss record over 1987 & 1988.

Tarkio College finished in first place with 72 points followed by Graceland College, Missouri Valley College, Baker University, and William Jewell.Bob Hull and Steve McFadden finished second and third in the 10,000 meter run. Ben Tolero placed first in the shot put (50;71/2"). Hull was also third in the 5,000 meter run.

Coach: Gary White (HAAC Coach of the Year) Assistant Coaches: Del Stoltenberg and Brian RenshawTarkio College finished in first place with 89 points followed by Baker University, Missouri Valley, Graceland, and William Jewell.Julie McKinney won the shot put (41'9") and Magee won the discus (130'6"). Sonya Wilkerson, Anna Assenmacher, and Margot Jobson placed first, second, and third in the 3,000 meter run. Anna Assenmacher won the 5,000 meter run (20:40) while Margot Jobson and Sony Wilkerson place first and second in the 1,500 meter run. Jobson also won the 800 meter run (2:29.7).

The Tarkio College women's cross country team, led by freshman runner Angelic Donovan, won the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship at Baker University in Baldwin, KS. Donovan took first place with a time of 19:48. The conditions at Baker were the worst the team had faced, according to the women's coach, Brian Renshaw. For Renshaw, it marked his fifth straight conference title. Before coming to Tarkio, Renshaw won two titles at Baker. Every Tarkio runner finished in the top ten with the exception of Amber Rogers who did not race because of an injury. Donovan finished first overall, Margot Jobson placed 3rd in 20:05, Alma Carmona was 4th in 20:23, Pamela Sordyl was 7th in 21:05 and Ksacia Hill finished in 8th with a time of 21:41. Tarkio finished with 23 points followed by Graceland, Mid-America, Baker and William Jewell. Renshaw is currently the Head Cross Country and Track Coach at Park University in Parkville, MO.

Alma Carmona was fifth inn the Javelin (77'6"), Kisha Cox was second in the long jump (15'8.5"), Julie McKinney was first in the shot put (40'6"), Kisha Cox was fourth in the triple jump (33'1.5"), Julie McKinney was second in the discus (91'6.5"), Stacey Johnson was third in the 200 meter (28.5), Pam Sordyl was second in the 400 meter (1:03.4), Margot Jobson was first in the 800 meter (2:29.9), Margot Jobson was first in the 1500 meter (5:07.5/Conference Record), Angelic Donovon was third in the 1500 meter run (5:35.8), Kascia Hill was fifth in the 1500 meter run in 5:40.5, Margot Jobson was first in the 3,000 meter run (11:12/Conference Record), Angelic Donovan was second in the 3,000 meter run (11:15.3), Amber Rogers was third in the 3,000 meter run (11:40.6), Angelic Donovan was first in the 5,000 meter run (20:00.9/Conference Record), Margot Jobson was second in the 5,000 meter run (20:55.1), Amber Rodgers was fourth in the 5,000 meter run (22:02.1), TC was third in the 400 meter relay (54.1), TC was third in the sprint medley (1:57.9), and TC was second in the 1600 meter relay (4:27.3).